This year marks the 150th anniversary of thoroughbred racing at Saratoga Race Course. Considering the sacrifices the horses have long made, the least horse racing can do is institute some humane measures.
First, the industry should stop the racing of 2-year-olds. Their musculoskeletal systems are far from fully developed.
Second, pervasive doping, legal and otherwise, needs to end. Injuries numbed by pain-masking steroids are a leading cause of catastrophic breakdowns.
Third, their finish line should never be a slaughterhouse. As a state trooper for 26 years, I have witnessed too many racehorses crammed into decrepit trucks and hauled for hours without food or water to abattoirs north and south.
Furthermore, according to Dr. Lester Friedlander, a former Racing and Wagering Board veterinarian, horses are head shy and flighty and their terror in the kill box often makes the "stunning" process difficult and ineffective, with some remaining conscious during the shackle, hoist and slash.
If these positive changes were to come to fruition, then, and only then, would there be reason to celebrate.
Sue McDonough
Rensselaer